This how to travel to Paris on a budget guide offers tips for saving money while planning your Paris vacation.

Paris is a very rustic city known for its culture, cuisine, art, and museums. Along with the city’s inner streets and back alleys, many famous and world renowned landmarks come to life at night and will forever be in the memories made in the City of Life, Love and Lights. Due to the very extensive network of streets and alleys within the city, a map is a must, because if one doesn’t speak the language, getting lost is not hard at all. So before getting started you should obtain a map of the full city and familiarize yourself with it. Then you should start familiarizing yourself with the way Paris is organized. It contains 20 districts/neighborhoods known by the French as arrondissement. These districts start in the middle of the city with 1e arrondissement and this has a major landmark known as Le Louvre and from there it spirals outward in a clockwise motion. Knowing these districts can easily help find the nearest landmark or Metro station to get to your destinations. Once you have gotten a good grasp on the city’s layout, the Metro station and navigating the city in general will be easy and you can spend more time enjoy the cites rather than looking for them. Overall if one would like to see Paris comfortably $150 per person per day should allow one to see the majority of the city in a weeks time. On top of that airfare

The main airport Charles De Gaulle is the primary hub of aviation in Paris and most known. Among the French it is known as Roissy, so if you hear that word, they are referring to Charles De Gaulle Airport. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_Gaulle_airport When booking this is the airport that most airlines will have listed, there are 3 other airports in the Paris area, but they are small and most likely not international. With any major travel venture you want to book your trip at least 6 months in advance, the farther away your departure date is the cheaper your trip will be. In some cases booking your air travel and hotel at the same time could save you more money, but not all sites such as Hotwire, Expedia, or Orbitz will have the youth hostels or extremely cheap hotels that will keep your wallet the fullest. By booking advance you get the lowest price and also give yourself time to save for the trip such as money for souvenirs and extra trips or museum entrances that you may want to see before you leave Paris. Once you have made it to Paris Charles De Gaulle airport, the only best way to get to your hotel or hostel would be by taxi. They are very pleasant and appreciative of your service, and it doesn’t cost as much as you would think. One suggestion would be to find a hotel near the airport and away from the center of Paris because ,one, if will be a lot cheaper because you are not in the heart of Paris where everything is happening, two, Parisian hotels are usually very tall in order to accommodate all the people while also minimizing space, and third your taxi charge will be the cheapest the closer you are to Charles De Gaulle, which is located just outside of the 19e arrondissement. To be safe one should put away €30 for each way going to and from the airport.

Youth hostels or simply hostels are extremely cheap places of accommodation that give you the bare minimum when it comes to shelter for a night. They mostly consist of dormitory style housing where a room filled with beds and all occupants of that room share a bathroom and maybe a kitchen. In the “traveler” category, most people travel in pairs such as with love ones, where privacy would be an important factor in the trip. Throughout the years hostels have evolved immensely from being this dirty and low-lit buildings to almost hotel quality accommodations. If a hostel seems too informal for your taste, then 1 or 2 star hotels in the city offer hostel prices and are a great chose for the low-budget travelers. These small hotels can provide wifi internet in the lobbies, private showers and bedrooms. They also offer breakfast for an additional fee unlike hostels which do not. The breakfast items come from a local bakery, most of the time within minutes of the hotel, where one can get them really fresh and for a fraction of the cost. You cannot experience true Paris if haven’t tried a freshly made croissant from a local bakery. Along with freshly brewed espresso or coffee, it will make every morning a good morning.

After a half a day of travelling one can only think about two things, resting and eating. Once you have had yourself a nap, eating should soon follow. Close to all hotels, you can find cafes and numerous vendors selling anything from meats to cheeses to bread. Paris is widely known for their huge cafes that sometimes extend to half the sidewalk, and Parisian sidewalks area about 20 ft wide in some places. These cafes serve up some authentic cuisine from Escargot (snails) to Croque Monsieur ( French version of a grilled cheese sandwich). In order to stay within budget, finding these cafes is the best way to dine in such a city known for its cuisine. They have a variety of different options that include chicken, beef, vegetables, and fish. Though French cuisine contains enormous amounts of butter, the portions contrast that so therefore you are consuming less food overall. Another popular way of eating would be to go to a Boulangerie (bread shop), Boucherie (meat shop), and maybe a MonoPrix ( French grocery chain) for veggies and condiments. All in all this way of dining with cost you all of €15 and can span over 2 meals. Along with the fine Parisian cuisine, Paris is known for its history and art. Le Musée D’Orsay, Le Louvre, and Le Centre du Pompidou are the top three must see attractions in Paris. Like everything else in Paris, the entrance is on the expensive side, so if you arrive to the entrance and see a big group about to go in, try to join them as a group and get a cheaper ticket price. You will make friends possibly from around the world and see the wonderful museums all at the same time. One suggestion would be try to see as much of Le Louvre in a day because it is the biggest of the three. In 4 hours only ¼ of the entire museum can be traversed so move at a steady but enjoyable pace. Along with the museums, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, La Seine, and of course the Eiffel Tower. If the lucky chance your on the top floor of your hotel overlooking the wonderful city and have a view of the Eiffel Tower 336 projectors give the Tower a nice glow and for 10 minutes on every hour over 20,000 strobes lights light up the Tower in a magnificent array of light. http://europeforvisitors.com/paris/articles/eiffel-tower-at-night.htm

I hope that this information has helped you plan for a great trip to Paris and good luck on future travelling ventures.